Review: Attack On Titan – Season 1

Based on the manga comic of the same name, the first season of the animé adaptation of Attack on Titan was first released in 2013 and consists of 25 episodes, each of which lasts roughly twenty minutes; meaning that it’s easy to pop in and inhale several episodes in one sitting. Given how most episodes end with an intense cliffhanger, watching just one episode isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do!

Attack on Titan is set in a dystopian future where the last remnants of humanity live in cities surrounded by gigantic walls. The reason for the existence of said walls is to keep out the Titans, a race of giant humanoid monsters with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. They appeared suddenly over a century ago and ravaged the world as we know it, driving humankind to the brink of extinction.

The people within the city walls lead simple lives with a sense of uneasy peace permeating day to day life. A great many people now believe the Titans to be little more than a myth as more than a hundred years have passed without a confirmed Titan attack on a city. That is until one day a truly colossal Titan appears and tears through a section of defensive wall, allowing a horde of smaller (generally ranging anywhere from 4-15 metres in height) Titans to invade the city, bringing about horrific death and destruction.

It is here where we meet Attack on Titan‘s key players, Eren Jaeger and his adopted sister Misaka. During the chaos, they witness their mother being devoured by a Titan and have no choice but to flee. In the aftermath of the attack they, along with pretty much everybody they know, enlist in the military in a bid to combat the Titan threat. In time, Misaka’s instinctive skill as a combatant and Eren’s sheer determination to “destroy every last Titan” make them valuable additions to humanity’s defense forces. Before long, they find themselves at the forefront of raging battles between humanity and the Titan menace.

Attack on Titan is a grim and, at times, extremely unpleasant series. It certainly doesn’t shy away from the fact that the monstrous Titans are eating people. On the contrary, depictions of hapless victims being consumed are reasonably common and usually quite gory and drawn out; hammering home that getting caught by a Titan is a truly terrible fate to meet, and several characters commit suicide rather than meet their end in the jaws of a Titan). It’s not really the type of show that you’d sit down and shovel tasty snacks into your face while watching, unless you have a sadistic penchant for people-shaped candys.

The gore is not what makes Attack on Titan scary though; rather the creepy nonchalant demenour of the Titans, as they slowly go about their business of devouring people. This seemingly effortless hunting style is made all the more terrifying upon the revelation that the Titans don’t even have a digestive system; they stumble about killing people purely because they can. The ‘little’ Titans are perhaps the most unsettling given their child-like appearance, all while they consume human flesh seemingly as a means of passing the time.

Of course, there is a lot more to Attack on Titan than its unrelenting horror elements. Central to the story is a deep sense of mystery; no one really knows where the Titans came from and why they do what they do. Without spoiling anything, the answer to these mysteries is not necessarily the obvious one. With each shocking twist, of which there are several throughout the series, we learn something new but also open up new questions, making for gripping long-term viewing. The additions of a large amount of politically motivated subterfuge and commentaries on everything from science and ethics, to class and religion, makes Attack on Titan a surprisingly intelligent series.

If there is one criticism frequently leveled at Attack on Titan, it is that the show does suffer from pacing issues; About a quarter of the way through the series, when Eren and Misaka are undergoing their military training, we spend a lot of time being introduced to new characters. While some consider this to be unnecessary filler, I would disagree personally. Without it, certain plot twists later on in the story wouldn’t seem so well earned, while a lot (and I do mean a lot!) of characters get killed during the series; their deaths are much more effective when we’ve had a chance to get to know them first, as opposed to them simply being bodies for the sake of ‘cannon fodder’.

There is a feature length reworking of Attack on Titan called Crimson Bow and Arrow which acts as an abridged version of Season 1 with snazzier animation. While CBAW would certainly be a tempting choice for someone who wished to get up to date with Attack on Titan and only spend a couple of hours doing so, I would strongly recommend investing the extra time and going for the series instead; Some of the great characterisation is lost in the abridged version. All in all, the Attack on Titan series is a much more fulfilling watch. Crimson Bow and Arrow is great for people who are already fans of Attack on Titan and don’t necessarily need to experience all of the character building and exposition again, but for new viewers it is unlikely to pack that same emotional ‘oomph’ which makes the Attack on Titan series so compelling.

Sean is Geek Ireland's resident dinosaur enthusiast, having been fascinated by prehistory since a time before he could read, speak or stand in an upright position (he still struggles to do at least one of these things on a daily basis).
Known as one of the biggest dinosaur fans Ireland has ever produced, Sean has delivered talks on his favourite subject at many venues and events including the Irish Film Institute, the UCD Science Expression Festival, Tayto Park, Dublin Comic Con and even London's Comedy Store.